4 Sports personalities who became successful Politicians

The notion that "Sports and Politics can't be separated" is a completely justified one. This commonality is based on the very fact that both politics and sports affect the emotions and perceptions of the common man.

In order to reach the pinnacle, one has to do a lot of hard work to constantly improve themselves through both introspections as well as retrospection. However, unlike other professions, a sportsman's career lasts for a lesser time frame owing to the deterioration of the physical attributes.

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On the other hand, politics is a marathon that can be initiated at any point in life which provides excellent remunerations if one is able to harvest it properly. It has become a general trend for political parties across the globe to lure famous personalities (sportspersons included) to join their organizations in order to garner public recognition.

So this list includes the four Sports Personalities who have used their fan following to aggregate masses in order to reach the higher echelons of power yielding. Here are 4 stars who switched to politics after hanging up their boots:

#4 Manny Pacquiao

39-Year-old Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, famously known as 'Pac-Man' is a living legend in the field of boxing.

Pac-Man took up boxing at the early age of 14 to look after his family. He has also played basketball, representing Kia Picanto which was part of the Philippines Basketball Association. He is also an honorary member of Boston Celtics with jersey number 1. It was clear that basketball was his passion as he used the sport for cross-training to keep himself in shape.

Perhaps Manny was at the pinnacle of his fame in 2015, a year that witnessed the popular face-off between him and Floyd Mayweather. Apart from sports, Pacquiao also had a successful career in the Army as a colonel.

Pacquiao first entered into the political arena in the year 2007 after he declared himself to be in the running for a seat in the Philippine House of representatives. After losing in the 2007 elections, the legendary boxer came back stronger having won both the 2010 and 2013 elections.

Currently, Pacquiao is the 'Senator of Philippines' from 'Lone Legislative District of Sarangani'. He is affiliated with 'PDP-Laban' and incumbent in office since June 30, 2016. The legend certainly has an irresistible aura and natural acumen for public dealing, which has put him at such a high level of the constitution without much prior experience.

#3 George Weah

Liberian President

The current 'President of Liberia', George Weah was an extraordinary footballer during 1990s, known worldwide for his speed, acceleration and scoring capabilities. Weah spent 18 years as a professional footballer, with his career taking off after a move to French club Monaco in 1988.

Weah reached his peak while playing for Italian giants AC Milan, where he won the Ballon d'Or as well, the only African to achieve the feat as of now. Widely regarded as the greatest African Footballer ever, the 3-time African footballer of the year has also represented the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Unlike others, Weah entered into the political fray in order to put an end to civil wars. After the end of the Second Liberian civil war, Weah announced his intention to run for the role of President in the 2005 general elections.

Despite losing the elections, the footballing legend remained active in Liberian politics for the next few years before deciding to compete once again for the President's role in 2017. This time though, the former Ballon d'Or winner emerged victorious garnering more than 60% of the vote share.

After being sworn in as the president, Africa's greatest player will hope to bring joy to the faces of the people like he once used to with his majestic footwork.

#2 Navjot Singh Sidhu

Sidhu: Always Vocal

Hailing from the Royal city of Patiala, Navjot Singh Sidhu famously termed as 'Sixer Sidhu' for his capacity to hit the ball a long way. He was a dashing batsman and a risk taker much before the advent of the T20s. The man from Punjab took part in 136 ODIs and 51 Tests in a career spanning well over 15 years.

After retiring, Sidhu started cricket commentary and soon established himself as a proficient speaker. Apart from that, Sidhu is a very famous personality in the entertainment industry where he has judged shows like 'Great Indian Laughter Challenge', 'Comedy Nights With Kapil Sharma' and 'The Kapil Sharma Show'.

Despite Sidhu's television work all these years, he had already started his political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party way back in 2004. Sidhu served as a Member of Parliament for 10 years from Amritsar.

In January 2017 Sidhu switched his political allegiance to the Indian National Congress, helping them to break the domination of his former Party. Currently, Sidhu is the Minister of Local Government, Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Archives, and Museums in Punjab.

#1 Imran Khan

Imran Khan: leading from the front

The most decorated Pakistani player ever, Imran Khan is a very popular figure in his home nation. His fan following is so huge that he is on the verge of becoming the Prime Minister of his country.

Khan is often regarded as one of the most successful Captains of the Pakistani Cricket Team having represented his nation in 175 ODIs and 88 Tests. The charismatic leader led his side from the front as Pakistan won their one and only World cup in 1992.

Perhaps, he was a born leader as, after retirement, Khan started his own political party by the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. Imran always wanted to end corruption and remove the cloud of terror that has devastated his beloved nation.

Khan's efforts did not go in vain as his party, emerged with the second highest number of votes in Karachi during the 2013 elections.

Imran's charisma on and off the field is very much evident as he is about to get the topmost seat in the country. His fans and Pakistani people will now hope that he can weave the same magic that made Pakistan such a respected team worldwide.